ATF: Hackers
by chronicler-of-knuckles
Summary: When the bad guys are armed with computers, and not guns, who you gonna call?


TITLE: Hackers   
  
AUTHOR: The Chronicler  
  
RATED: PG (I got this thing with swearing)  
  
CHALLENGE: W.O.W. 02-23-04 --BLACKOUT  
  
UNIVERSE: ATF  
  
SUMMARY: When the bad guys are armed with computers, and not guns, who you gonna call?  
  
NOTE: Yet another tidbit that could use a bigger story. I'll put it on my list... but if someone else wants to try it out, just let me know. Lord knows I have enough projects goin' at the moment.  
  
ARCHIVE: Yup!  
  
FEEDBACK: Yup!  
  
EMAIL: chronicler_of_knuckles@yahoo.com  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hackers  
  
By The Chronicler  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The lights began to flicker.  
  
"Agent Dunne?" Director Travis hissed.  
  
"Workin'." the young ATF agent assured. His fingers moved like lightening as they swept across the keyboard.   
  
"Damn!" another computer genius cursed, slamming his hands down. "I'm locked out!"  
  
"Me too." growled another.  
  
"Come on, J.D." Buck encouraged.  
  
"Down in the cheap seats!" one of the computer geeks snapped. But the distraction was just enough so that he too was kicked off the system. "Son-of-a-bitch!"  
  
"They're closin' in!" cried one of the board workers. "If we don't shut them down they'll have the whole system!"  
  
"Agent Dunne?!" Travis was sounding worried.  
  
"Workin'." J.D.'s eyes never blinked.   
  
"Out!" snapped yet another computer lawman, closely followed by three more, the last in the room... except for Agent John Danials Dunne of the ATF team 7.  
  
Lights began to go down. The main screens turned to static. Phones began to die in mid ring.  
  
"Dunne!" Travis yelled.  
  
"Workin'."   
  
"He'll never get it done." growled one of the `experts.' "He's just some nothing hacker. If he was any good, he'd of been here in the first place. Isn't that so, kid?"  
  
"Hey!" Buck snapped.  
  
But Josiah was the voice of reason: "I wonder what that might say about your own skills, considering he is still on and you were one of the first to go down."   
  
"Everybody: shut up!" Travis snapped, before turning his attention to the youngest of his agents. "Agent Dunne..."  
  
J.D. suddenly spun his chair around and looked up at the man. "Yes, sir?" he asked with a grin.  
  
Travis paused. He looked up, noting that nothing had happened. Everything still seemed to be shutting down.... a total blackout  
  
"J.D..." Chris Larabee started.  
  
But then the lights suddenly flashed back on and all the computers rebooted.  
  
J.D. grinned. Without explanation, he rose to his feet and started back for the door. As he passed the computer geniuses he paused to explain "The difference between you experts and us hackers: for experts, it's a job. For hackers, it's making love." He wiggled his eyebrows at them. "Don't know 'bout you boys, but I could use a cigarette." he shared. Then continued pass his team mates and out the door.  
  
Members of Team Seven looked at each other.  
  
"Ah, hell." Buck groaned. "He's gonna be impossible to live with now." As he and Josiah bagan to follow their hacker, he leaned close to the big man and admitted "You know, that ain't a bad line. It's not just a job; it's making love... no wonder the kid hardly ever dates."  
  
"Is the system safe?" Travis asked as the experts got back to their computers.  
  
"Yes, sir. All files look to be intact. Systems up and running, First Aid repairing our fire walls." the head computer handler answered. he spun around in his seat to look up at the man. "But, sir, less we find these bastards, they're just gonna keep hitting us, faster and harder. We don't have the tech..." he paused, glancing at the door the boy wonder had exited from, "nor the talent to keep them out indefinitely."  
  
"You keep them out!" Chris ordered. "We'll find them." Then he turned and headed out.   
  
He found his men standing outside congraduating their own computer whiz. To his surprise, instead of soaking up every last ounce of praise, J.D. sat on the ground, his back to the tire of his jeep, his head resting against his knees. Nathan was crouched down beside him, gently rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
Frowning, Chris walked over and crouched down in front of the boy. "You alright, J.D.?" he asked. When there was no immediate answer, he glanced up at Nathan..  
  
Team 7's medic sighed. "He just spent the last three hours staring at a computer screen, practically unblinking the entire time, with lights flashing and buzzers sounding in his ears, under extreme pressure to achieve while others were falling like flies around him." He shrugged. "He has a bit of a migraine. Could use some aspirin, a cold cloth, and a nap."  
  
Buck leaned down. "Did he mention that he skipped breakfast to get here in time to save everyone's collective butts?" He smiled  
  
Nathan sighed. "Add a banana to that to do list."  
  
J.D. finally responded, looking up at the medic through squinting eyes. "Banana?"  
  
"For the potassium. Helps with cramping muscles and headaches." Nathan explained.  
  
Chris reached out, grabbed J.D. by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet. "Wish I could give you the time, kid, but..."  
  
"Hackers on the loose." J.D. leaned his head back against the cool steal of his jeep.  
  
"Yea." Chris squeezed his shoulder. "Can you find them?"  
  
The boy's head came forward and he flashed his leader a grin, which was immediately followed by a grimace. He closed his eyes against the light. but still assured "Consider them found."  
  
Chris frowned. He glanced at Buck then Nathan. "Get him what he needs. Including the banana. We'll meet you back at the office."  
  
"Coffee House." J.D. corrected.  
  
"Coffee House?"  
  
"If I use their link with my laptop I can move faster without being restricted by the so-called experts trying to trace me." he explained.  
  
"Why would they trace you?" Buck wondered. "We're on the same side."  
  
"Same badges, different sides." J.D. threw him a glare. "I'm a hacker. They're the institute of computer-up-their-asses-so-think-they're-bright."  
  
"Yea, yea. Job verses love making." Chris grumbled. "We caught that." he thought on it for a moment, but, knowing J.D. knew more of what was needed than he did, decided to go along with it. "Get it done." he ordered.  
  
With a hoot, which sent J.D. wincing, Buck spun about, grabbed the boy's by the arm, and dragged him around to the passenger side of the jeep.  
  
"Nathan." Chris stopped the medic before he turned away. "He's our only weapon in this one. We need that little head of his working at its best."  
  
Nathan sighed. "Aspirin, bananas, and an artificail-light free vacation when it's done with."  
  
Chris smiled. "You get the aspirin and bananas. I'll take care of the vacation." With that promise, he turned and started for his truck, calling to him "Josiah, Vin, Ezra! Lets move!"  
  
The three were already waiting for him beside his vehicle.  
  
"Where to, boss?" Vin wondered as they loaded up.   
  
"The kid can follow the computer trail. But whoever is hitting us isn't just a bleeps on a computer. There are real, living, breathing, solid bodies somewhere running those things." Chris answered.  
  
"Who need food, water, electricity, so on and so forth." Josiah added.   
  
"The kid follows the computer trail. We follow the human trail." Chris Larabee concluded. "So, get thinking, boys. Who'd want to crash the ATF computer systems?"  
  
Ezra huffed. "Would you like the summary in a short essay version? Or shall we go for the full novel?"  
  
~~~~~  
  
Alax Morgan slammed the computer with such force it was thrown off the desk to smash on the floor with a dramatic crash, splintering plastic, sparks, and shattered glass.  
  
"What the hell happened?" he roared at his four followers. "We had them! We had them! They were crumbling! There was nothing in our way! What the hell happened?"  
  
"Mag7." came the answer from a mousy little girl with spiked hair and black lipstick. Sissy Memphis.  
  
Alax eyes snapped around to glare at her. "Mag7?"  
  
Conner Memphis, a tall man, with, like his sister, spiked hair and black lipstick, nodded. "Mag7 was the name on the handle on the last operator. The one that knocked down that returned the rabbit and totally rezoned the mine field so we walked right into our own bugs."  
  
Alax's eyes narrowed. "He's not an operator." He shook head, reaching up to pull on his purple died hair. "No operator thinks like that. Operators would of just shut us down. then try and track us... No... no, no. This guy, this Mag7.... he turned out stuff back on us. He wasn't defense. He was offense." he clicked his tongue and leaned over the table, eyeing his companions. "Mag7 is a hacker."  
  
"A hacker in the suits department?" Cory Mathews, a young boy, dressed from head to toe in white leathers and black chains, shook his head in disbelief. "No true hacker would cross sides."  
  
"Hackers isn't a job, Cory." Alax explained. "It's what we are. our soul, our blood, our love." He smiled slightly. "Mag7 is a hacker for sure. And if we're gonna get that system, we're gonna have to take him out."  
  
"Yahoo!" hooted Whiz, spinning in his chair. he waved his stetson and clicked his spurred heals. "We got ourselves a range war!"  
  
Alax frowned at the NewYork cyber cowboy. "Well, don't know about range war..." He glanced about at his fellow hackers. "But we sure as hell have got us a game!"  
  
~~~~~ 


End file.
